“Yes!”

Harold answered decisively, confirming Xia Xiaolan’s guess.

The Du family had built their fortune on shipping.

That was back in the 1960s.

Even now, although Chengrong Group had diversified its business, shipping remained one of the Du family’s more legitimate assets.

Just as Zhang Jiadong ran legitimate trading companies to cover his shady dealings, the Du family needed cover for their smuggling operations too!

Before Du Zhaoqi’s arrest, if anyone had wanted to acquire this part of the Du family’s assets, it would have been non-negotiable.

But now…

Xia Xiaolan studied Harold – here was someone who’d won the lottery of birth. But beyond being born lucky, there were clear reasons why he’d managed to maintain control of the Wilson family fortune!

“Harold, you know how to seize an opportunity!”

When the previous acquisition failed, he immediately targeted the Du family.

If Du Chengrong were conscious, this deal would probably be impossible, but Du Chengrong was in a coma, and Du Zhaowei was in charge now.

Xia Xiaolan couldn’t help giving Harold a thumbs up.

Harold’s eyes showed amusement, “So, you agree to help?”

Xia Xiaolan nodded, “Yes, I’ll help!”

This wasn’t helping Harold, but helping Du Zhaowei.

Selling these assets to Harold would be a win-win for Du Zhaowei. What was originally a legitimate asset had become a burden after the smuggling case came to light. Once sold, Chengrong Group would face less external scrutiny and gain liquid capital… Harold would be satisfied too, as he could acquire it at an extremely low price during this time.

Harold stood up and extended his hand to Xia Xiaolan:

“Thank you for your help. I don’t know if we can still be friends after certain events, but at least we’re not enemies, right?”

Put that way, Xia Xiaolan couldn’t refuse.

“You’re right. Whether or not the Du family intends to sell these assets, I’ll give you an answer soon.”

Harold approaching Xia Xiaolan wasn’t a pointless gesture.

After the Chengrong Plaza incident and Qihang Capital’s profits from Hong Kong stocks, many people saw Xia Xiaolan and Du Zhaowei as a unit. Not in a romantic sense – only tabloids would write such nonsense – but as an economic partnership.

To Harold, Xia Xiaolan was Du Zhaowei’s girlfriend; he could have approached Du Zhaowei directly.

It was precisely because Xia Xiaolan was Du Zhaowei’s business partner that he approached her first.

An economic partnership was more stable than a romantic relationship.

“I’ll wait for your good news.”

…

“Sell it all as a package?”

Du Zhaowei wrung his hands.

Who would buy wasn’t important, but the timing—

He couldn’t help asking Xia Xiaolan, “Do you think I should sell?”

Xia Xiaolan shrugged, “You’re the acting chairman of Chengrong Group. This decision is yours to make. There are pros and cons either way. Harold has his reasons for asking me to mediate – he’ll push the price extremely low. If he quoted you directly, you might throw him out before he finished speaking!”

Chengrong Group was already dealing with endless troubles, and now this stock market crashed. Harold was a shrewd businessman – how could he offer a high price for the Du family’s assets?

Just like what Xia Xiaolan was doing to the Lu family.

If Xia Xiaolan could do this to the Lu family, Harold could certainly do the same to the Du family.

Now Du Zhaowei needed to weigh the pros and cons himself.

“You’re right, let me think about it.”

Du Zhaowei quickly changed to a smile, “How’s the Lu family situation? Is that old fox Lu Guangfu willing to sell the South Harbor Financial Report?”

“The prospects are good. I can see he’s not attached to it, just putting on airs hoping to raise the price… I’m in no hurry anyway. The money’s in my pocket – if Lu family won’t sell the South Harbor Financial Report, I’ll invest in other assets.”

Her acquisition was different from Harold’s.

Harold had clearly thought it through carefully. Entering shipping was part of a plan, possibly integrating with other Wilson family businesses.

Xia Xiaolan was more spontaneous.

Buying the South Harbor Financial Report was a sudden decision – if Lu Yunshi hadn’t made a scene at Tang and He’s wedding, Xia Xiaolan wouldn’t have even noticed Lu Family Press.

For short selling, she could have chosen other companies’ stocks… If she couldn’t buy the South Harbor Financial Report, she could easily switch to something else. With money in her pocket, she had plenty of options!

So in this matter, Xia Xiaolan, who held the initiative, wasn’t anxious – the Lu family was the one who should be worried.

Du Zhaowei still remembered Xia Xiaolan’s promise of pocket money but hadn’t expected her to make so much during the stock crash. Not counting the money she’d lent him and the interest he’d have to pay, if Qihang dissolved after just this one deal, based on Du Zhaowei’s 30% share, this pocket money would amount to 120 million Hong Kong dollars!

In all his life, no one had ever given him such generous pocket money.

For 120 million Hong Kong dollars in pocket money, he’d happily let Xia Xiaolan keep him!

For 120 million Hong Kong dollars in pocket money, Xia Xiaolan could treat him however she wanted…

However, when Xia Xiaolan had mentioned pocket money, the Du family’s crisis hadn’t happened yet, and neither of them had imagined Du Zhaowei would suddenly gain “power.” Now Du Zhaowei wasn’t desperately in need of this pocket money, so he was happy to let Xia Xiaolan continue growing it.

With the money in Xia Xiaolan’s hands, Du Zhaowei wasn’t worried about her running off without him.

His good mood lasted until after dinner with Xia Xiaolan and seeing her off, when he went to the hospital.

Du Zhaowei knew Du Ziyu often came to the hospital to see the old man.

Crying and acting, trying to wake the comatose old man.

Du Zhaowei himself rarely came, partly because he was busy with company matters, and partly because after playing the filial son for so many years, he was tired of the act and didn’t want to continue.

That night at sea, he and Du Chengrong had already torn away the facade of father-son affection.

Even if the old man woke up and stripped him of his management rights, what then?

Du Zhaoqi had already fallen, and with the old man’s health, would he have time to groom another heir?

The more Du Zhaowei thought about it, the more he believed he was the best heir.

He wasn’t afraid of Du Chengrong revoking his management rights – sooner or later, the company would have to be handed to him—

After everything that had happened, Du Zhaowei understood that inheriting the family fortune wasn’t about acting filial and competing for love, but about capability!

In the hospital room, Du Chengrong lay in a coma.

It seemed he wasn’t so invincible after all, still subject to the natural laws of life, aging, illness, and death. Du Zhaowei had come to the room to gloat but suddenly felt it pointless. After staring at Du Chengrong for a long while, he suddenly shouted:

“Just stay in your coma! I’m not only going to sell off the shipping business, I might even sell the entire Chengrong Group!”

Du Zhaowei stared intently at the hospital bed.

Really couldn’t wake up?

That wouldn’t do.

How could he not wake up to see how impressive his son had become, how could he not wake up to experience the taste of being cuckolded?

One time, two times, maybe even more… After a lifetime of philandering, being cuckolded in his old age was only fair.